On March 26, MIFTAH organized a press conference on the old campus of Al Najah University in Nablus in which it announced the results of the dialogue sessions the organization held in the first quarter of this year. Party and faction representatives participated in addition to university student councils, the PLO’s popular unions and activists from independent youth groups, in order to agree on the best ways to guarantee women and youth representation in PLO bodies and departments and to restore youth bodies as a space for real partnership for Palestinian youth leaders.

Based on the importance of reactivating the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in all of its political, social and economic components and locations, the dialogue sessions resulted in the following conclusions and necessary measures to be implemented by the parties involved, aimed at reviving The General Union of Palestine Students [GUPS]. This is due to the exclusivity of this union in its capacity as the most comprehensive representative body for Palestinian youth and the legitimate channel for their representation in various PLO institutions and bodies.

The discussions concluded with the following:

The need for members of the GUPS executive board, given its role as the union’s central leadership inside the homeland and abroad, to make the necessary preparations for holding the GUPS general conference as soon as possible and also to contact the relevant parties in this regard. The board is also called on to overcome obstacles and differences hindering the conference’s convention and to set a date for it.

The participants agreed on a number of proposed amendments to the GUPS constitution, which would guarantee that the general goals of the union are not affected. This is with the exception of the amendment that considers the Union as one of the PLO’s foundations, and the amendment on student representation between inside the homeland and abroad by considering every district of the homeland as a branch of GUPS through its student representation in Palestinian universities.

GUPS is the sole representative of all Palestinian students in the homeland and abroad; it is one branch of the PLO.

Branches of GUPS will be formed in every district of the homeland where there is one or more accredited educational institution on condition that the number of students in the institution is no less than 500 students.

Any district where the number of students enrolled in an educational institution is less than 500 shall be included in the district geographically closest to it.

Affirmation that Palestinian students do not belong to any other union in order to ensure that GUPS is reserved solely for Palestinian university students (BA Students).

Setting mechanisms in place to implement the Central Council decisions pertaining to women’s representation by no less than 30% in all state institutions and PLO bodies, so as to guarantee representation of Palestinian female students in leadership bodies in the Union at its various levels, including its executive board, board of directors, administrative bodies, branches and units.

Setting the period allotted for the GUPS executive board presidency at two terms, whereby each term is a three-year period, in accordance with the period set by the constitution for holding the GUPS general conference.

The need for continued national efforts by the various student bodies to pressure members of the executive committee to guarantee the approved amendments, ensuring just representation for Palestinian students in all their locations and within PLO bodies.

Following the conference, a public policies paper will be prepared on the overall outcomes of the discussions held by MIFTAH, which will include all of the points mentioned above. The paper will be delivered to the members of the executive committee of the PLO to follow up with their responsibilities in order to solidify the right of representation for Palestinian youth in the political system and to galvanize their leadership role through restoring youth bodies within the PLO.